


tell me we'll never get used to it

by settledthesun



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, F/F, post 3b
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-08
Packaged: 2018-01-18 16:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1435903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/settledthesun/pseuds/settledthesun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Lydia had thought if anyone was to find her like that, knees in the grass, nails caked in dirt, desperately sobbing Allison’s name over and over, it would be Scott or Stiles, maybe even Isaac. The last person she had expected it to be was Cora Hale.'</p><p>Cora comes back to Beacon Hills after hearing what happened, and might be the only person to truly get through to Lydia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tell me we'll never get used to it

**Author's Note:**

> title taken fron Richard Siken's 'Scheherzade'

Lydia doesn’t remember how she got here.

She doesn’t remember leaving her house, or making her way across town. It’s not like when she blacks out before finding a body. This is different.

Because her best friend was dead long before she blacked out, and she’s still dead now.

And as she takes in the fresh tombstone before her, it hits her all over again, and she screams.

Except this scream sounds a lot like a heart breaking.

.

She blacks out again from crying and screaming and pounding her fists against the earth. She’s distantly aware of someone’s hand on her shoulder. It’s gentle at first, but gradually becomes more forceful as she doesn’t respond. Eventually she feels someone bundle her into their arms, but she’s too tired to care. Right before she falls back into the darkness, she vaguely registers a familiar voice:

‘Come on Princess, let’s get you out of here.’

And then she’s gone.

.

Lydia had thought if anyone was to find her like that, knees in the grass, nails caked in dirt, desperately sobbing Allison’s name over and over, it would be Scott or Stiles, maybe even Isaac. The last person she had expected it to be was Cora Hale.

She awoke on her bed. Not in it, she notes, just lying on top of the covers. She opens her eyes groggily and remembers the stranger that found her in the cemetery. She looks around, momentarily alarmed, only to realise it’s not a stranger at all.

The younger Hale is stood looking at the objects decorating Lydia’s room; books, make up, photographs. Photographs mostly consisting of her and Allison. Ridiculous selfies they’d laughed over together, pictures someone else in the pack had taken when they’d been unaware, pictures of Allison that Lydia had taken and smiled over everyday.

Lydia’s sharp intake of breath must have been audible (but then she remembers, werewolf powers - duh) as Cora quickly turns to face her, looking noticeably uncomfortable.

‘Hi,’ she says.

‘I thought you were in South America,’ Lydia replies, still a little in shock that Cora is actually here, in her room.  
‘I was,’ Cora says, shifting her gaze to her feet. ‘But Derek called me and-’, she trails off.

And there it is. Once again, yet another reminder of the gaping hole in all of their lives.

‘Why do you care,’ Lydia spits out bitterly. Defensive is her go-to emotion, after all.

Cora looks the tiniest bit taken aback by this, but she recovers quickly. ‘Because Allison was a good person. I know we aren’t pack but it still felt right to come back, you know?’

‘No, not really. I don’t have a pack. I never have. Allison was all I had.’

‘Look, Lydia-,’ Cora starts, only to be cut off by Lydia, who is now standing upright, pointing an accusing finger at Cora.

‘No, don’t you ‘Lydia’ me like you fucking care. You had no idea what I’m feeling, no idea. So don’t come all the way out here to give me a fucking lecture, I’ve had enough from Scott and Derek and everyone else that’s a part of this fucking freak show of a town.’

Cora’s fists clench at this and she feels her wolf growl deeply.

‘You think I don’t fucking know what it feels like to lose someone? You think I haven’t spent the last god knows how many years of my life waking up in terror, convinced I’m choking on fumes?’

Lydia takes a step back and Cora is suddenly worried that she went too far, feeling her claws dig against her palms. She takes a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself.

‘I didn’t mean it like that,’Lydia eventually says, no more than a whisper.

‘I get it, Lydia.’ Cora says as Lydia sinks down on the corner of her bed. ‘I probably get it more than anyone. I know that you don’t know what to feel. I know that you’re torn between wanting to cry yourself into oblivion and tearing this whole fucking town down. But you don’t get monopoly on pain. Everyone’s hurting right now.’

‘But she was my best friend. She was the only real friend I ever had and I loved her more than anyone.’

Cora softens slightly at this, sighing deeply and perching on the bed next to the other girl.

‘I’m a terrible person,’ Lydia says, staring blankly ahead.

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m angry at Scott.’

Cora looks at her questioningly.

‘I’m angry that he got to say goodbye to her and I didn’t. I’m angry that he shared her last moment and the last conversation we had was about something completely stupid and meaningless. I’m angry that he got ‘goodbye’ and I got ‘see you later.’

Cora swallows thickly at the lump she feels starting to form in her throat. 

‘I’ve never told this to anyone before, but the last time I spoke to my parents we were arguing. It was about something ridiculous, I felt they were too hard on me and I just snapped and yelled at them. A few hours later they were gone. My last words to them were filled with petty, childish hatred.’

Neither girl says anything for a few minutes. There isn’t really anything either of them could say. ‘I’m sorry’ is too obvious.

‘Does it ever get easier?’ Lydia finally asks.

‘Not easier, necessarily. But you get better at coping. That’s all you can really ask for, I suppose.’

‘God, Cora,’ Lydia says, a choked sob forcing itself out of her tiny frame. ‘I just don’t know how to deal with the fact I’m never going to see her again.’

Lydia falls against Cora, burying her face against her neck and the wolf freezes for a moment. She’s still not used to physical contact, but she knows this is what Lydia needs, so she awkwardly wraps and arm around the other girl’s shoulders, bringing her in closer. Lydia responds, grasping to Cora even more tightly.

They stay like that for a moment, but when it becomes obvious that Lydia’s tears aren’t going to subside anytime soon, Cora carefully lifts the other girl into her arms, making her way around the the side of the bed and laying Lydia gently under the covers. She turns to make her way over to the arm chair across from the bed, when she feels a hand shoot out to grip the front of her shirt.

‘Stay,’ is all Lydia says. It’s not a question, or a request, just one word.

Cora kicks off her boots before climbing in under the covers beside Lydia. The redhead immediately moves her body up against Cora’s. She probably knows that Cora has been leeching pain from her for the last twenty minutes (her knees are cut up and her palms are still bloodied) but Cora thinks perhaps it’s just a case of needing to feel close to someone.

‘When’s the last time you slept properly,’ she asks quietly, moving a stray red curl away from her face.

‘I don’t know,’ Lydia responds simply. ‘A long time ago.’

‘You should sleep.’

‘I can’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘I’m scared.’

‘What are you scared of?’

‘Dreams. I’m scared of what I’ll see. I’m afraid that she won’t be there. And I’m afraid that she will.’

‘Whatever happens Lydia, I will be right here.’

‘Promise?’ Lydia sounds so broken that Cora kind of wants to cry. Instead, she snakes her arm around the other girl’s waist and holds her tightly.

‘I promise. I’m not going anywhere.’

She feels Lydia nod once against her neck, before lacing her fingers through Cora’s and shifting within her hold. Cora places one soft kiss against Lydia’s hair, the way her mother used to do to her when she tucked her in at night.

Cora stays awake until she heard Lydia’s breathing even out, knowing that the other girl was finally asleep.

And with that, the Wolf followed the Banshee into the world of sleep, vowing to stay by her side for as long as she needed her, because she would be damned if she let death damage the younger girl the same way it had her. Lydia was strong, and Cora was going to be right here to remind her of that, no matter the cost.

**Author's Note:**

> i just really loved what little we saw of the cora/lydia dynamic on the show, and I feel like she would be the only person who could tell it like is whilst also understanding how lydia is feeling


End file.
